ä Member Spotlight - page 3

ä SEP alumnus - page 5recognized

ä SEP receives - page 5grant

What has drawn you towork with the health carefield? What other factorshave shaped your careerchoices along the way?

While in high school, Iworked in a number ofpositions with a long-termcare organization. I wasparticularly interested inboth the social and eco-nomic aspects of the fieldand pursued an undergrad-uate degree in health careadministration. Duringthis time, I met a professorwho also was a hospitaladministrator and he guid-ed me to do graduate workin hospital administrationat Washington Universityin St. Louis.

I joined Witt/Kieffer aftercompleting a summerinternship at the firm. Iwanted to build on myknowledge of the field andwas interested in beingexposed to health careleadership in other parts ofthe country. At the time, Imade a three- to five-yearcommitment to the firm. I subsequently relocated tosouthern California andopened the Witt/Kiefferoffice in Irvine. It’s now

BRIDGES PROFILE

WHAT’S INSIDE

James GaussPresident and ChiefExecutive OfficerWitt/Kieffer

ä National Association of Health Services Executives’ 2007 Out-standing Organization of the YearAward to Witt/Kieffer in recogni-tion of the firm’s contributions tothe health care industry and con-tinuing support and partnership

ä M.H.A. from Washington Universi-ty, Saint Louis, MO; B.A. fromLakeland College, Sheboygan, WI

ä Witt/Kieffer is the nation’s mostexperienced executive search firmspecializing in presidential, CEOand senior leadership searches inhealth care, education and othernot-for-profit organizations. With17 offices nationwide, Witt/Kief-fer serves organizations commit-ted to improving quality of lifeincluding leading hospitals andhealth systems, academic medicalcenters, physician group practices,managed care plans, colleges anduniversities, and community serv-ice and cultural organizations.The firm’s culture advances quali-ty, diversity, dignity and lifetimecareer and personal development.Mr. Gauss was recently named tothe Institute for Diversity inHealth Management’s Board ofDirectors. For more informationabout Witt/Kieffer, visit www.wittkieffer.com/health.

continued on page 7

2008 is off to a fast start! Wewere pleased to announce in Jan-uary that the Institute’s Summer

Enrichment Program (SEP) received a$5,000 grant from Blue Cross andBlue Shield of Illinois in recognitionof its success in expanding access tohealth care and improving the well-being of the community. The SEP’sprimary mission is to increase thepresence of minorities in health caremanagement by helping to train andsupport the next generation of diverseexecutives. Since 1994, more than500 students have successfully com-pleted the program, which has beenrevamped to expand access in 2008.We are extremely proud of the pro-gram, and of the young men andwomen it assists as they take the first

step towards rewarding careers inhealth care. If you are interested inmentoring one of these promisinginterns in 2008, please visit our Website, www.diversityconnection.org, formore information and applicationmaterials.

I also am pleased to announce thatfive distinguished health care leadershave joined the Institute’s Board ofDirectors, effective Jan. 1. They are:Anthony Armada, president and CEOof Henry Ford Hospital and HealthNetwork in Detroit; James Gauss,president and CEO of the executivesearch firm Witt/Kieffer; George Hin-ton, vice president for academicaffairs at Milwaukee & Aurora Sinai

continued on page 2

WINTER 2008, VOL. XIV ISSUE 1

Fred’s Corner By Fred D. Hobby, President and CEO Institute for Diversity in Health Management

Once a quarter, Bridges spotlights a health care executive who hasmade a significant contribution to advancing the careers of diverseindividuals in health care management.

The Institute will hold its Leadership and Educational Conference on Diversity– the health care field’s premier conference on managing diversity – June 19-20 in San Antonio, TX, at the Westin Riverwalk. Trustees, senior health careexecutives, human resource directors, diversity specialists, consultants andothers will find valuable resources and tools for effectively managing diversityprograms within their organizations.

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this important event! Visitwww.diversityconnection.org to view the agenda and register.

It’s not too late... Register today for the Leadershipand Educational Conference on Diversity!

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Charlisa Watson, MHSA, has beennamed executive director of theNational Association of HealthServices Executives (NAHSE), a profes-sional association for African American execu-tives in the health care industry. Prior to joiningNAHSE, Charlisa was the interim executivedirector and COO for the National Association ofBlack Accountants Inc., and previously servedas operations manager for the National MedicalAssociation. “The executive director’s position isa great opportunity to help improve the dispari-ties in healthcare amongst African-Americans,minorities and other underserved communities,one to which I will always give a 110 per-cent,” said Watson. NAHSE National PresidentRodney Miller, Sr., said that her appointmentwill “ensure that NAHSE forges ahead with itsagenda for promoting and developing cohesiveAfrican American and minority leaders in thehealth care profession.”

Central Michigan University’s (CMU)Doctor of Health AdministrationProgram was recently awarded theirPresident's Diversity Excellence Award for beingtheir most diverse graduate degree program,and for making a meaningful contribution toaddressing the under-representation of minoritiesin leadership roles in health care administration.The award is given annually to a faculty, seniorofficer, staff office/unit and/or a Mt. Pleasant,MI, community member or organization thathas contributed in a significant way to achievingthe goals of the Strategic Plan for AchievingDiversity at CMU and in the Mt. Pleasant com-munity. For more on the CMU program, visitwww.cel.cmich.edu/dha.

The National Forum for Latino HealthExecutives (NFLHE) will host a net-working session Tuesday, March 11, duringthe American College of Healthcare Executives’annual Congress on Leadership in Chicago. Theevent will take place from 6-9 p.m. at theNational Museum of Mexican Art (1852 West19th ST, Chicago, IL 60608), the only muse-um in the country dedicated to Mexican fineart. Latin drinks and food will be served. This event is free and open to all Congressattendees and members of the Chicago healthcare community. Please visit www.nflhe.org to RSVP.

Medical Center in Milwaukee; Rod-ney Miller Sr., CEO of MemorialRegional Hospital, Hollywood, FL,and president of the National Associa-tion of Health Services Executives;and David Ray, vice president andNPO Practice Leader, DiversifiedInvestment Advisors of Texas. I amparticularly pleased to welcome Rod-ney Miller to the board. Rodney is thefirst SEP alumnus to become the CEOof a health care organization, and theInstitute is extremely proud of hisaccomplishments and his continueddesire to work with us to improveopportunities for others. I also wouldlike to congratulate Joe Swedish, pres-ident and CEO of Michigan-basedTrinity Health, on becoming theboard’s chair-elect. Joe has been a val-ued member of the board, and I lookforward to working with him moreclosely as he assumes the chairman-ship next year.

I also would like to congratulateJoxel Garcia, a member of the Nation-al Forum for Latino Healthcare Exec-utives’ Board of Directors, who wasrecently nominated by President Bushto serve as Medical Director in theRegular Corps of the Public HealthService and Assistant Secretary of theDepartment of Health and Human

Services. Joxel is the senior vicepresident and senior medical adviserfor MAXIMUS Federal Services, aconsulting company offering programmanagement and operations servicesto state and local governments, aswell as the federal government. Congratulations!

In other Institute news, we aremoving full-steam ahead with plansfor our 2008 Leadership and Educa-tional Conference on Diversity, June19-20 in San Antonio, TX. Expertsfrom health care and the general busi-ness community will provide insighton designing a diversity program,recruitment and retention of people ofcolor in health management, succes-sion planning and more. This year, wealso will be taking a closer look at theconnection between health disparitiesand workforce diversity. Speakers willinclude 2008 AHA Chairman BillPetasnick, president and CEO ofFroedtert & Community Health andco-president and CEO of ProgressiveHealth in Milwaukee, WI; Sister CarolKeehan, president and CEO of theCatholic Health Association; noteddisparities expert Janice L. Dreach-slin, Ph.D.; and many more! For regis-tration details, visit our Web site atwww.diversityconnection.org. And besure to register early, as our last con-ference filled up far in advance!

NEWS TO USEFred’s Cornercontinued from page 1

The American Hospital Association and Health Research & Education-al Trust (HRET) have decided to make the HRET Disparities Toolkitavailable free of charge to ensure all hospitals have access to this helpfulresource. Updated in September and previously available for a fee, thetoolkit provides information and resources to help hospitals, health sys-tems, clinics and health plans collect race, ethnicity, and primary languagedata from patients. Such data is needed to track the prevalence and natureof disparities in care and focus efforts to eliminate disparities and improvequality of care. The toolkit also aids in educating and informing hospitalstaff about the importance of data collection, how to implement a frame-work to collect the data, and how to use the data to improve quality of carefor all populations. To access the HRET Disparities Toolkit, go towww.hretdisparities.org.

HRET Disparities Toolkit now free

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Member Spotlight:

For over 70 years, SSM Health Care(SSMHC), an Institute corporate spon-sor based in St. Louis, MO, has been atthe forefront of the health care fieldwith regard to promoting diversity andinclusion. From the SSMHC TrainingCatalogue, to its groundbreaking Diver-sity Scorecard, to its Diversity Develop-ment Association (DDA), SSMHC hasbeen a diversity leader. The organiza-tion has committed itself to increasingdiversity among not only its own lead-ership ranks, but also those throughoutthe health care field.

According to SSMHC, its sponsors,the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, openedthe first Catholic hospital in this coun-try for African Americans in 1933.Since then, the organization has identi-fied diversity as a cornerstone of itsoperation. “Our founders were verydeliberate about what they wanted todo, and for them, diversity was the rightthing, and it continues to be a big focusfor us,” said Yvonne Tisdel, SSMHCcorporate vice president of HumanResources and System Diversity.

The centerpiece of SSMHC’sefforts is its Diversity Scorecard. The scorecard’s goals are to “enhanceSSMHC’s ability to meet the needs ofdiverse patients/customers, and toimprove a work environment thatrewards and recognizes excellence,and attracts and retains the best peopleregardless of race, color, religion, sex,sexual orientation, national origin,veteran status or disability,” accordingto the organization. In addition, thescorecard seeks to “improve supportto and alliances with organizationswhose missions call for rigorous pur-suit of fairness and equality for allpeople,” as well as to “increase busi-ness partnerships with minority andwomen suppliers.”

The scorecard creates a metric bywhich SSMHC can measure its orga-nizational progress on issues related todiversity. Starting with its strategicgoals in mind, SSMHC sets bench-marks and goals related to diversity,and using the scorecard as a guide, isable to gauge its success in achievingthose aims across all of its 20 entities.These goals have ranged from theincreased hiring of persons of color inprofessional and management posi-tions to the expansion of SSMHC’srelationship with minority-owned vendors and businesses.

According to Tisdel, this metric-based approach is in keeping with the

organization’s focus on continuousquality improvement (CQI). In 2002,SSMHC became the first health careorganization to win the MalcolmBaldrige National Quality Award, thegovernment’s highest honor for qualityand operational excellence, afteremploying rigorous CQI standards.According to Tisdel, SSMHC learnedfrom the Baldrige process that changemust be deliberate and must be tied tothe organization’s strategic goals. “In2005, we set a goal to be 100 percentdiverse-friendly by 2010,” Tisdel said.“Five years may seem like a long time,but it takes time to change a culture. Wesaw that with our CQI initiative,” she

SSM Health Care

Steven M. Barney has been apioneer in themovement forgreater diversity inhealth care and achampion forrelated issuesthroughout thehealth care field. Since 1988, hehas served as the senior vice presi-dent of human resources at St.Louis, MO-based SSM Health Care,an Institute member consistentlyrecognized one of the nation’s mostdiverse and culturally competenthealth care organizations.

During his tenure at SSM, Barney launched a comprehensiveethnic and gender diversity programthat led to the increase of thefemale:male executive ratio from37:60 to 50:50. In addition, he devel-oped and implemented the ExecutiveDevelopment and Succession Plan-ning Program, which includes a three-year executive training program fordiverse junior executives. He also cre-ated SSM University, an educationaltool used to develop leadership at alllevels of the organization.

Barney began his career in journal-ism, which quickly led to work in hos-

pital public relations. “All of a sud-den, I went from editing the editorialpage of a daily newspaper to being apart of a hospital administrative team,”he explains, and, after returning to hisalma mater, the University of Wiscon-sin at Madison, for a Master’s degreein health care administration, he madea permanent career switch.

Although Barney did not enterhealth care until later in his career, hefirst began to observe the need fordiversity and cultural competence dur-ing his undergraduate years. “It wasin the early 1960s when I was a stu-dent [that I] became keenly aware ofracial injustices in our midst,” he says.“From my college days on, thetremendous untapped potential ofdiverse Americans – not to mentioninjustices of racism – has been a com-pelling theme in my family and mywork. I see progress… but there’s alot that isn’t happening that needs tohappen for diversity to be embraced ina meaningful way throughout oursociety.”

Through his role at SSM HealthCare, Barney is continuing to shinethe spotlight on the influence of diver-sity and the positive impact culturallycompetent care can have on individu-als and communities.

continued on page 7

SSM Spotlight: Steven M. Barney

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IL, where she attended high school.Her ultimate career goal is to serve asCEO of a health care organization.

This future leader discovered whatshe calls her “true passion for healthcare management” by chance. Duringher first year of college at the Universi-ty of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,Dang signed up for a Public Healthclass because it was one of the fewavailable courses that would fulfill thegeneral education requirement. Whatshe learned about health issues in theU.S., especially lack of access andhealth disparities, had a deep impact onher. It inspired her to pursue a major inHealth Administration, Dang says“…because this will ultimately put mein positions where I can bring aboutreal changes in health care.”

Philip Daniel Ramirez is the presi-dent of the Healthcare LeadershipCoalition at Texas State University-San Marcos, from which he received aB.S. and is currently enrolled as agraduate student in the School of

Diversified Investment Advisers andthe Institute for Diversity in HealthManagement are proud to announce theselection of Cynthia Nguyen Dang andPhillip Ramirez as the winners of the2008 Leaders in Health Care Scholar-ship. Dang and Ramirez will eachreceive a $5,000 award.

Applicants for this award must begraduate students and demonstratefinancial need, academic excellenceand a commitment to community serv-ice. In addition, they are evaluated onthe basis of a personal statement abouttheir interest in health care managementand their career goals along with anessay on the most challenging issuesfacing the American health care systemin the future.

Cynthia Nguyen Dang is currentlyenrolled in the graduate program inHealth Systems Management at RushUniversity Medical Center, where shehas achieved an impressive 4.0 GPA.Dang leads a martial arts club at IllinoisMath and Science Academy in Aurora,

Health Administration. Ramirez hasworked with low-income and Spanish-speaking children as a speech-lan-guage pathologist assistant. He alsohas worked the university’s ENLACEprogram to help prepare Hispanic andfirst generation undergraduate studentsfor admission to graduate school. Hehas participated in the SpecialOlympics, the Southwest Key “Forethe Kids Golf Classic” and severalrun/walks for charitable causes.

Ramirez is a student affiliate of theAmerican College of Healthcare Execu-tives and the Healthcare Financial Man-agement Association, as well as a mem-ber of the Upsilon Phi Delta NationalHonor Society. “Professionally and per-sonally, I am passionate about advocacyand protection of equal patient rights,especially for low-income, minority andimmigrant populations in Texas,” saysRamirez. He is planning an internshipwith a health care network in Austin, TX,before seeking work as a hospital admin-istrator. His future plans include addi-tional education in the field of health law.

Diversified Investment Advisers andthe Institute salute Cynthia Dang andPhilip Ramirez, who are excellent rep-resentatives of the qualities the Leadersin Health Care Scholarship seeks tohonor and support.

Diversified Investment Advisors2008 Leaders in Health CareScholarship winners announced

Sponsorship packages available for 2008 Institute conferenceThe Institute for Diversity in Health

Management is hosting what is sure tobe a groundbreaking two days of learn-ing, listening, networking and conver-sation surrounding one of the most piv-otal issues facing the field of healthcare at the Westin Riverwalk in SanAntonio, TX, on June 19-20, 2008.The National Education and Leader-ship Conference, “Diversity and Dis-parities: Parallel Challenges for the21st Century,” will bring togethernational health care leaders to discussthe critical issues facing a field that isstruggling to keep pace with risingdemands for quality, safety and cultur-ally competent care.

Institute membership has skyrocket-ed over the past several years as issuesof diversity and culture have becomemore central to the health care field.The 2008 conference offers marketingopportunities to a targeted audience ofsenior health care executives and diver-sity leaders in hospitals and health caresystems that are supported by unparal-leled access to senior health care execu-tives, the most progressive thoughtleaders in diversity and diversity practitioners in health care.

The Institute invites any interestedorganization to become an integral partof the national conversation as an under-

writer of our 2008 conference. Sponsor-ship will provide your organization withunparalleled exposure to the field, aswell as with a host of networking andmarketing opportunities that will estab-lish your position as a leader in the questfor a more diverse workforce in healthcare management. Corporate underwrit-ing packages range from the $50,000 tothe $5,000. We also are offering exhibi-tion opportunities for $1,000.

Please visit www.diversityconnec-tion.org for more information on how tobecome a sponsor, or contact Kelly Red-mond, Institute Director of Operations, atkredmond@aha.org or (312) 422-2692.

5

Jyric Sims, a hospital administrativefellow at the University of Texas M.D.Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX,and a 2006 Summer Enrichment Program(SEP) alumnus, was recently named oneof Ebony magazine’s “2008 Young Lead-ers of the Future.” Each year, the maga-zine honors 30 African-American womenand men under the age of 30 as emergingleaders. Honorees were nominatedanonymously by civic, political and busi-ness leaders in their communities.

Sims is currently participating inAnderson’s Administrative FellowshipProgram. The 12-year-old program pro-vides fellows an opportunity to shadowkey leaders, familiarize themselves withthe organization and oversee a project oftheir selection. “This is a tremendous

This spring five professional soci-eties of health care executives are col-laborating to study the career attain-ments of health care executives.Under the leadership of the AmericanCollege of Healthcare Executives(ACHE), members of ACHE, theInstitute for Diversity in Health Man-agement, the Asian Healthcare Lead-ers Association, National Associationof Health Services Executives, and

the National Forum for Latino Health-care Executives will be sent a ques-tionnaire asking them about theirpreparation, achievements and atti-tudes relative to their careers in healthcare management. Results will becompared and presented in a reportscheduled to be released in late 2008or early 2009.

If you are among those sampled for

the study, please set aside the estimated20 minutes to complete the survey. Byfilling out the survey, you will provideimportant information to the professionrelative to treating all practitioners fair-ly. Also, by completing the surveypromptly, you will spare our organiza-tions the expense of sending out a sec-ond or third round of surveys.

If you have questions about this research, please contact Peter Weil,Ph.D., FACHE, Vice President, Divisionof Re-search, ACHE at (312) 424-9440 or e-mail him at pweil@ache.org.

BCBS of Illinois recognizes Summer Enrichment ProgramThe Institute for Diversity in

Health Management’s SummerEnrichment Program (SEP) has beenrecognized with a $5,000 grant byBlue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinoisfor its success in expanding access tohealth care and improving the well-being of the community.

The SEP’s primary mission is toincrease the presence of minorities inhealth care management by helpingto train and support the next genera-

tion of diverse executives. Since 1994,more than 500 students have success-fully completed the program, whichmatches graduate students with hostsites across the country.

The Institute is one of 180 organi-zations to receive a grant or donationthis year from Blue Cross and BlueShield of Illinois, which focuses itsgiving in four key areas: heath andhuman services for the uninsured or underserved, human services,

education and the arts.

Host site registration and studentapplications are currently beingaccepted online for the 2008 SEP atwww.diversityconnection.org. State,regional and metro hospital associa-tions are welcome to register as SEPPartners in order to share SEP infor-mation with their member hospitalsand/or health facilities; associationsalso may apply as host sites if theywish to host an intern in 2008.

Survey to compare the career attainmentsof health care executives by race/ethnicity

honor, not only for Jyric, but for M.D.Anderson and its distinguished fellow-ship program,” said Anderson Vice Presi-dent and COO Gerard Coleman, whooversees the program. “Jyric’s consider-able work ethic and his contributions tothe institution and his community willserve us all as he continues a career inhealth care administration.”

Sims has a master’s degree in healthservices administration from the Univer-sity of Arkansas for Medical Sciencesand a bachelor’s degree from LouisianaState University. He completed a three-month summer residency at SentaraHealth System in Norfolk, VA, as a par-ticipant in the Institute for Diversity inHealth Management’s 2006 SEP pro-gram and was one of two individuals to

receive a Diversified Investment Advi-sors Leaders in Health Care Scholarshipfrom the Institute in 2007.

“The Institute staff is always excited tosee one of our SEP graduates being rec-ognized for their hard work and dedica-tion to excellence,” said Institute Presi-dent and CEO Fred Hobby. “Jyric’srecognition is particularly encouragingfor us because it reinforces the value ofthe financial contributions from our part-ners like Diversified Investment AdvisorsInc. Their belief in our mission ofadvancing minority students along thepipeline to leadership positions in healthcare, and their generous support, allowsthe Institute to identify talent such asJyric and invest in their success. We arevery proud to have played a small role inJyric’s success, as well as the successes ofthe hundreds of students we have beenprivileged to assist.”

SEP alumnus recognized

6

workshops, a film festival and aresource center with exhibits andposter presentations. Visit http://www.diversityrx.org/ccconf formore information, including agen-das and presentation abstracts fromprevious years.

Compondium looks at bills addressingdisparities

The Henry J. Kaiser FamilyFoundation has identified and puttogether a compendium of 16 billsintroduced in the 110th Congressthat address racial and ethnic dis-parities in health and health care.The Foundation categorized thelegislation as either focusing oncomprehensive minority health,environmental health, health tech-nology or population and condi-tion-specific. While a number oflegislative initiatives introduced inthe current Congress may have animpact on health disparities oraffect minority health, only billsthat focus specifically on dispari-ties were included in the com-pendium, the Foundation said. Toview the compendium, go towww.kff.org/minorityhealth/upload/7724.pdf.

Business group to tackle disparitiesThe National Business Group on

Health (NBGH) and the U.S.Department of Health and HumanServices (HHS) Feb. 11 announceda two-year initiative to build busi-ness-community coalitions toreduce racial and ethnic health dis-parities. As part of the effort,NBGH has assembled a disparitiesadvisory board comprised of healthcare leaders who will identify bestpractices for addressing racial andethnic disparities and create atoolkit to help employers imple-ment them. The initiative is part ofHHS’ National Partnership forAction to End Health Disparities.

Study: Racial disparities in cancertherapy

African-American Medicarepatients are less likely than whiteMedicare patients to receive thera-py for various types of cancer,according to a new study in thejournal CANCER, published bythe American Cancer Society.Researchers at Yale UniversitySchool of Medicine used the Sur-veillance, Epidemiology and EndResults (SEER)-Medicare data-base to review cancer care receivedby Medicare patients diagnosedwith breast, colorectal, lung orprostate cancer from 1992-2002.They found varying degrees ofracial disparities for six of the sev-en cancer therapies investigated.“This variation suggests that racialdisparities in cancer care areunlikely the result of a singular,consistent culprit such as overarch-ing Medicare policies or geograph-ic variation in patterns of care,” theauthors said. The largest disparitywas noted among patients withearly-stage lung cancer, for which76 percent of white patients andonly 60 percent of African-Ameri-can patients underwent surgicalresection. The study is available atwww.cancer.org/docroot/MED/content/MED_2_1x_Racial_Dispari-ties_Persist_in_Cancer_Care.asp.

Study: Disparities seen in opioid useto treat pain in ED patients

Use of opioid medications totreat patients with pain-relatedemergency department visitsincreased from 23 percent in 1993to 37 percent in 2005, according toa study in the January Journal ofthe American Medical Association.However, whites were more likelyto receive opioids for pain-relatedED visits (31 percent) than wereAfrican Americans (23 percent),Hispanics (24 percent), or Asians

and other groups (28 percent).Although the study did not investi-gate potential underlying causesfor the differences, the authors saidthe results suggest new strategiesare needed to improve equity inpain management. The federallyfunded study examined patient-related visits to EDs using reason-for-visit and physician diagnosiscodes from the 1993-2005 Nation-al Hospital Ambulatory MedicalCare Survey. The study can beviewed at jama.amaassn.org/cgi/content/short/299/1/70.

Report examines health characteristicsof Asian Americans

Asian Americans are more likelyto be uninsured than their whitecounterparts (18 percent versus 15percent), according to a new reportfrom the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention. Among Asian sub-groups, Korean adults are most like-ly to be uninsured (36 percent) andwithout a usual place for health care(25 percent), while Vietnameseadults are most likely to be in fair orpoor health. The findings are basedon the CDC’s 2004-2006 NationalHealth Interview Surveys. Thereport is available at www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad394.pdf.

Conference to examine cultural compe-tence and disparities

The Drexel University Center forHealth Equality, Resources forCross Cultural Health Care and theU.S. Department of Health andHuman Services’ Office of MinorityHealth will sponsor the sixthNational Conference on QualityHealth Care for Culturally DiversePopulations in Minneapolis, MN,September 21-28. The conferencewill feature over 150 presentationsduring pre-conference intensivetraining sessions, plenary panels,roundtable sessions, concurrent

Health Disparities Roundup

7

their respective careers. The programwas retired in 2006 when SSMHClaunched its organization-wide SSMUniversity for all leaders.

In addition to its myriad programsand initiatives, SSMHC also retains aDiversity Advisory Council. Thisdiverse team of staff members acts as“diversity ambassadors” for SSMHC,with delegates appointed from each ofthe organization’s facilities and fromacross the spectrum of pay grades.These delegates, appointed by their var-ious entity presidents, supportSSMHC’s “mission, values and com-mitment to diversity,” as well as the“development and integration of proj-ects and activities that will assistSSMHC in meeting and exceeding its

diversity strategic goals.” According toTisdel, with 20 entities in four states, itis natural that “some will do better andsome will lag behind” when it comes toachieving the system’s diversity goals.The council “keeps a focus on sharingbest practices” to help raise the level ofperformance across the board, she said.

SSMHC is a progressive health careorganization that has prioritized diversi-ty and has flourished as a result. It hasdone so not only by providing itsemployees at all levels with everyopportunity to learn the importance ofdiversity in health care, but also by fill-ing its leadership pipeline with a diversegroup of talented executives who arepoised to continue SSMHC’s traditionof inclusion and cultural competence.

SSM Spotlightcontinued from page 3

been 25 years with the firm.

How can health care embrace the leadershipimperative to increase diversity amonghealth care managers?

It starts from the top. Very few, if any,health care organizations see results withoutstrong support from senior management andboard leadership. At Witt/Kieffer, we’reasked to assist hospitals and systems inbuilding their diversity leadership ranks.What’s critical, however, is organizationalreadiness. Too many organizations find itdifficult to “walk the talk.” If a hospital orsystem fails to create a culture in whichdiversity leaders can thrive, this workbecomes a futile exercise.

That said, we’ve seen substantial strides inorganizational readiness and, as a result,more recruiting success. What we’re seeingis no doubt reflective of social changes thathave occurred in the country over the past25 years, but it takes commitment. AWitt/Kieffer national survey on this topicidentified important steps in the process,such as communicating the value of culturaldifferences, promoting minorities from with-in, identifying internal “champions” andseeking regular employee input about theorganization’s diversity initiatives. It’simportant to keep in mind that diversity isnot a program – it’s creating a culture thatthrives on inclusiveness and appreciates the

intrinsic value in differences in people.Many health care organizations haveembraced this work with great success.

What advice would you give to racially andethnically diverse individuals seeking toenter health care administration?

I strongly encourage young people enteringhealth care to develop their leadership skills.They should look for university and profes-sional programs that focus on leadershiptraining where they can hone communica-tion and interpersonal skills. Look for facul-ty who actually work in health care admin-istrative roles and ask them about what ittakes to become a leader. Becoming a goodleader is the best way to make a differencein an organization. Combined with sensitivi-ty to the value of racial and ethnic differ-ences, you can have a powerful impact.

There also are many opportunities fordiverse individuals through professionalassociations and internships and fellow-ships through MBA and MHA programs.Attend as many educational conferences,meetings and networking events as possi-ble, so while you’re learning more abouthealth care, you’re also exposed to a widerange of opinions and people. Seek outmentors who have paved the way in theirown organizations and can help coach youand develop you as a diverse leader. At thesame time, some diversity executives maybe reluctant to talk to recruiters. But I’d

Bridges Profilecontinued from page 1

explained, noting it takes awhile to “getall 20 entities moving in the same direc-tion, at the same pace.”

SSMHC in 2004 created the Diver-sity Development Association (DDA), amanagement training program formembers of groups that have tradition-ally been denied development opportu-nities due to bias and discrimination.This initiative resulted in the creation ofa pool of diverse SSMHC employeestrained in the skills necessary to take onmanagement and leadership positions.More importantly, it positioned partici-pants for upward mobility and develop-ment, and equipped them with the toolsnecessary to succeed at the next level of

strongly encourage you to do so to find outmore about career choices and opportuni-ties. Those may be off in the future, butpeople who set goals are far more likely toachieve them. The changes we’ve seen indeveloping diverse leaders in the last 20years will only accelerate in the next 20.Take advantage of them.

As a new Institute board member, you bringa fresh perspective. What do you see as theInstitute’s greatest challenge in the comingyears?

The Institute’s greatest challenge is buildingon existing benchmarks. Those includeorganizational readiness; creating inclusivecultures; and building senior managementteams that thrive on diversity of thought,culture and background. We need to estab-lish benchmarks in the boardroom for therole of governance in creating inclusive cul-tures, as well as in the executive suite, tocontinue to make genuine progress. Forexample, if we include advancing diversityin board and CEO evaluations, we canexpect better outcomes. At the same time,we need to catalogue efforts in diverse lead-ership recruitment, on-boarding and reten-tion, and those need to be shared throughoutthe health care industry. Clearly, there’s agreat deal of benchmark work being com-pleted in health care organizations, but tyingthat together in terms of best practices –similar to those for quality and financial ini-tiatives – will be a major challenge for theInstitute and the field as a whole.

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Five health care leaders joined theInstitute for Diversity in Health Man-agement’s Board of Directors effectiveJan. 1. They are:

n Anthony Armada, president andCEO of Henry Ford Hospital andHealth Network in Detroit, MI.

n James Gauss, president andCEO of the executive searchfirm Witt/Kieffer.

n George Hinton, vice presi-dent for academic affairs atMilwaukee & Aurora SinaiMedical Center in Milwau-kee, WI.

n Rodney Miller Sr., CEO ofMemorial Regional Hospitalin Hollywood, FL, and presi-dent of the National Associa-tion of Health Services Executives.

n David Ray, vice president and NPOpractice leader, Diversified InvestmentAdvisors of Texas.

The Institute also congratulates JosephSwedish, president and CEO of Michigan-basedTrinity Health, who recently became the board’schair-elect, and Angela Anderson, the Institute'sformer director of operations, on her appointmentas interim executive director for the NationalForum of Latino Health Care Executives.

Institute welcomes five new board members

ARMADA GAUSS HINTON MILLER RAY

One North Franklin St. Chicago, IL 60606(312) 422-2630

www.diversityconnection.org